Hurricane Lee is slowing down a bit but is nevertheless a very powerful hurricane as it aims itself at the U.S. East Coast. The category 5 storm weakened over the past 24 hours but can gain more energy as it travels across the Atlantic Ocean north of the Bahamas this weekend.
Hurricane Lee, currently a Category 3 storm, is hundreds of miles east of the Caribbean but could impact the US Atlantic seaboard as early as this weekend.
The National Weather Service has also issued a coastal advisory for the east coast saying rough surf conditions can begin being felt as soon as Sunday.
The storm was positioned 400 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands as of 5 a.m. Saturday, generating maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. According to the National Hurricane Center, Lee had earlier escalated to Category 5 but is expected to weaken slightly on Saturday. It is forecasted to regain strength over the weekend and continue to be a powerful force into the middle of next week.